Schoolgirl sues British school over "purity ring" ban

Published: 25 June 2007

British teenager Lydia Playfoot has sued her school for violating her
religious freedom after school officials banned a New Testament
inscribed ring she wore as a sign of her commitment to chastity before
marriage.

Catholic News Agency
reports that Ms Playfoot, a pupil at the Millais School in Horsham,
took her case to Britain's High Court on Friday, arguing that her
school had violated her religious freedom.

She wears a ring as a
sign of her commitment to abstinence until marriage. The ring is a thin
silver band, engraved with New Testament verses encouraging Christians
to be chaste.

The school prohibits all jewellery except for ear
studs, but it does permit Sikhs to wear steel bracelets. The school
said it would not make an exception for chastity rings because they do
not form an integral part of the Christian faith.

According to
the AP, Playfoot's lawyer, Paul Diamond, argued that secular
authorities and institutions "cannot be arbiters of religious faith".

Speaking
before the hearing, the girl's father, Philip, said the family's
three-year fight highlights the growing secularisation of British
society and the sidelining of Christian views and values.

Lydia's
ring was inspired by an American abstinence-education program, called
"The Silver Ring Thing." The program was launched in 1996 and received
more than $1 million from the US government over 10 years.

Meanwhile in another story involving dress codes, Monsters and Critics
reports that the Archdiocese of Manila has been distributing posters on
what to wear in church since last week after many parishioners
expressed dismay over inappropriate dressing during Sunday Mass.

"The
guidelines are reminders to dress appropriately because other people
are scandalised," Peachy Yamsuan, spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said.

Under
the dress code, women should not wear short skirts, skimpy shorts,
sleeveless blouses, tank tops or spaghetti-strap tops and plunging
necklines in church, while men should avoid caps, shorts and basketball
jerseys.

The archdiocese instead recommends that women wear
blouses, corporate or office attire, school uniforms or long gowns,
while men wear shirts, jeans or slacks.